


parental guidance : don't leave your child with their godparents

by orphan_account



Series: magician's are supposed to be smarter than this [3]
Category: Now You See Me (Movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Kid Fic, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-29
Updated: 2016-06-29
Packaged: 2018-07-18 22:59:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7334095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after their nasty divorce, Jack and Lula are forced to meet up again for their daughter on Christmas. Cue the horsemen and their daughter trying to do the impossible— getting Jack and Lula back together.</p><p>or </p><p>The AU in which after i'd travel to the end of the world for you, Lula and Jack end up separating but have to reconnect for their daughter on what is supposed to be the jolliest time of the year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	parental guidance : don't leave your child with their godparents

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone ! So this is technically an AU in the i'd travel to the end of the world for you verse in which Jack and Lula split. Love you guys, hope you enjoy this one !  
> Grace

Christmas was supposed to be fun. 

Not for Lula Wilder—May ! She still had to get used to actually using her maiden name. There were so much articles on her and Jack, she got too used to being called Wilder. 

Anyways, not only would her household be covered in red and green horrifying decorations, but they would be coming. 

Don't get her wrong, she loves her friends to death, preferably not soon, but it's not them she's worried about. ( That's a lie. There's always something up the magicians' sleeves and pockets and bags and hats and other garments of clothing. )

Jack. Jack freaking Wilder. Yes, father of her beautiful three year old daughter, but yes, also her ex-husband of a year. 

God, she knew they got married too fast ! Yeah, sure, she thinks, why not ? It seemed like a good idea ! And plus, she loved the guy, so why not ? It got Henley to come back ! 

Why was she ever so stupid to fall for a guy like Jack Wilder ? A guy who could pull her in with a lopsided grin and a nudge of his shoulder. Geez, thank whatever person up there he's gone ! 

But then again, the heavens were never really too kind to Lula Wilder— May ! 

Jack motherfreaking Wilder's coming back for the holidays, Danny, Henley and Merritt in tow ! 

Dylan arranged for them to have a Christmas break, to come over to the mansion and have days off until February ! February, for God's sake ! What the hell is she going to do ? 

A house, with five magicians, two who are married, two who are divorced and have a daughter, and that one guy who wears a hat literally anywhere ! She swears she saw him go to the freaking shower with that stupid fedora ! 

The house is never going to survive. 

Olivia pulls her out of her heartbreaking reverie, and in this case, she actually means heartbreaking. Like if she thinks about it any more, her heart is going to break, and not in a metaphorical way. It's literally going to split in two and explode, leaving nothing left. 

Olivia tells her the 'doggybowl's bring rinning fur da pass meanie'. She's still sounding out her words and her voice is so freaking cute. Lula ruffles her girl's mix of brown and blonde hair and walks to the door holding her hand. 

Lula takes in a deep breath. Several, actually. She swears she'll go to church every Sunday if God, or The Big Guy, or whatever they call him helps her survive the next two months. Well, every three weeks. Month. Three months. She'll go on Hanukkah. Wait, that's Jewish. Never mind, she's down for that if that'll help her. Wait, can you convert to Jewishism ? Is that even a word ? 

Her thoughts are shoved down her throat the second she opens the door. So is a cookie. Oh, it's chocolate chip. Well, she could do worse. 

Henley hugs her like she hasn't seen the other woman since New Year's. Which she actually hasn't. Lula'd be lying if she said she didn't squeeze her best friend just as hard. 

When the redhead finally lets go, she gives her goddaughter a hug just as tight as she one she gave to her mother and walks into the house, chatting with her about cow noises, Livvy's newest fascination. 

Lula turns back around to see her favorite hat-adorned hypnotizer. He gives her a halfhearted embrace before asking if the hard liquor in cabinets behind washing machines is still there. Lula laughs before murmuring that it is, even though it's only one-eighth full. Merritt chuckles, and yet he walks in the direction of the laundry room. 

Danny's the last to come in. Snow having collected in his hair, which has grown significantly since she saw him last. Henley sure has made a good impact on him and his hair ! She calls him Buffy like she used to and pushes him in to see his favorite and only godchild. 

She's expecting one more ghost of Christmas past until Merritt informs her that the 'ole exy' of hers will come later, having left the laundry room with something obviously shoved underneath his sweater. 

When she shrugs and begins to walk away, she doesn't expect for the doorbell to ring again. 

Henley runs up to her, yelling that she'll get it and that Lula should get back into the living room to make sure Merritt isn't trying to teach Livvy how to hypnotize someone again. 

She hums in agreement and continues her walk back to the most decorated part of the house. 

Her little girl's balanced on Merritt's lap as the man gulps down his whiskey, her little baby hands in Danny's as he says something that sounds like 'don't tell your mommy'. 

Lula coughs and Merritt and Danny squeak. Just like old times. 

But then again, old times doesn't mean awkward when Jack suddenly appears in the doorframe, Henley behind him. 

Livvy squeals in excitement and claps her hands, telling her Uncle Merritt to put her down. The man obliges, and the little girl stumbles over to her father, who's waiting with his arms outstretched. Who'd know ? Jack Wilder holding a three year old in his arms with his leather jacket on. God, he looks good. What ? No. No, he doesn't. Lula shoves a cookie in her mouth again be firing closing her eyes in appreciation. Damn, it's good. 

Jack balances their daughter on his hip as he fits bumps Merritt and half-hugs his old pal, Buffy. 

He shifts his eyes to her, and she feels her heart's city walls come back up, having rebuilt faster than any building in America. Well, then again, anything can be rebuilt faster than any building in America. 

He tells her she looks good, and she says the same, because formalities. It's not like he actually looks good. Wait, is that cologne she smells ? She always loved that one— focus, Lula ! Alright, she got this. 

She leans in and hugs the man, breathing him in. A minute passes like three seconds before Merritt tells them it's actually been two minutes and they're either going to have to do the 'do do' or let go before the tension runs off on everyone. They laugh awkwardly and let go of each other. Livvy squirms to be led to her Aunt Henny. Her father obliges. 

Lula sits back down on the couch next to Merritt, who wordlessly offers her the rest of the bottle of liquor. She takes it, swinging back a gulp and passes it back.

She doesn't expect Danny to take a swig too. She also doesn't expect for Jack to take a seat next to her. 

Henley, obviously, who else ?, is lead up by Livvy to play dress-up in her room. 

Jack motions for Danny to pass him the whiskey. He gulps it down. 

He asks how everyone's doing, how the road here was, the weather, all that crap. Danny answers monotonously as Lula lays her head on Merritt's shoulder. Merritt falls asleep on the spot. 

Danny rolls his eyes, comments of Merritt's sleeping habits, and goes upstairs to check on his wife and goddaughter, leaving Lula and Jack on the couch, Lula unable to leave due to Merritt's goddamn naps !

She sneaks a glance at Jack, who obviously feels just as uncomfortable as she is. She tells him she knows how he feels and that he should just go upstairs. 

He tries to say something about how it all ended but it fell upon deaf ears. She stoically told him that it was alright, they had gotten married too fast and started falling out of love for each other. 

He catches her head before it tries to turn the other direction, holding her face gently between his hands. He tells her that no, he never stopped falling in love with her every single day. After that he does exit. 

She closes her eyes. He said 'loves', not 'loved', and she knows how careful Jack is with his words. She's about to freak out, combust by panic, when Merritt shocks her, saying that Jack really does love her. 

She looks at the closest thing to a brother she has, teary eyed, and tells him that no, he doesn't, because he was the one who gave up on them, that he was the one who told her to leave, that he was the one who told her she was nothing to him anymore, and that he was the one who told her he didn't love her anymore. 

She hadn't realized she was screaming until Henley tumbled down the stairs, Livvy in her arms and Danny and Jack following suit. 

Great, she knew she should've not said anything. She plants her face in Merritt's shoulder. She feels his arm wrap around her small frame, and she thanks Buddha, God, Allah, whoever's out there, for Merritt McKinney. 

She hears footsteps come closer. She's completely content with spending the rest of her life on the couch with one of her favorite human beings until her baby girl asks if she's sad. 

And now, she can't possibly be weak in front of her daughter, so she stands up, with help from Merritt, and takes her daughter out of Hen's arms, saying of course not, why would she be ? Her baby's the greatest in the world.

She doesn't expect for the next question. Livvy asks her if she's angry that Daddy's home. 

She meets Jack's eyes. Sad, regretful, and something familiar she doesn't quite remember. 

She says no. 

She hears Merritt cough, blatantly obvious. She also sees him pulling out a small bottle of bourbon from his pocket. 

Her baby doesn't say much after that, just nestles in her arms, cuddling her mother close. 

She takes that as sign that Livvy's totally down for her nap now. She walks up the elaborate staircase and sets her girl in her crib. Once she's made sure she's asleep, she quietly leaves the room, keeping the door slightly ajar. 

Just as she's about to descend the flight of stairs, she feels someone pull her into the room next to Livvy's. Henley, of course. The woman asks if she's alright with Jack being here the second the door slams shut. 

Lula tells her Jack said that he still loves her. The older woman's squeal is strong enough to get Danny in the room before shooing him away. 

She asks if this changes things. Lula says the most obvious thing : she doesn't know. 

Sure, they were in love for a year. A year. That's quite a long time, if asked. And they have a beautiful three year old daughter. And she still uses her marital name on official documents. 

She doesn't even know if Jack Wilder even wants to be with her, or if he's so wrapped up with seeing her and Livvy again that he just said that because of familiarity. 

Henley tells her that she better find out soon, for her own sake and for her daughter. 

The older woman then brings her downstairs, where Merritt's reading the paper, Danny's lolling back on the couch, pressing buttons on the remote and Jack's throwing cards in the air. Damn, he always looks so freaking delicious when he does that. Fuck, man. 

She shakes away from her reverie when Danny asks her what channel HBO is. She answers and squeezes between him and Merritt, snatching the bourbon from Merritt and taking a generous swig. 

She's just about cozy in the middle of the two men when Merritt abruptly moves to let Jack sit next to Lula. Never mind, the man just lowered himself to the number 5 in her favorites. First was obviously Olivia, second was Henley ( Merritt used to tie with her ), third Danny and Dylan, and fourth being Grandma because damn, that lady can cook ! He had lowered himself to number 5, where Li used to reside. 

Jack seemed to be nowhere and everywhere at the same time. He managed to tie for her favorite and be at the very bottom with her parents, Walter and Tressler at the same time. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw Merritt share unsubtle glances and strange mouthing of words to Henley and Danny, who were furiously shaking their heads. Merritt shrugged before announcing that he was going to retire to his bedroom and they better call him down when his favorite goddaughter wakes up. Lula retorts by saying that Livvy's his only goddaughter. He shakes his head before heading upstairs. 

Danny and Henley make an unintelligible excuse and race up the stairs, leaving Lula in lonely, quiet, awkward solitude, Jack still next to her. 

Lula asks if they're doing what she thinks they're doing. Jack laughs out a yes, probably. She says they're stupid if they think they could actually pull it off. Jack suddenly grows silent. 

She suddenly understands. He actually wants them to pull it off. She says her conclusion out loud to him, wanting him to deny it, and yet, he doesn't. 

She feels this sense of anger, rage, before telling him that he can't just suddenly want her back just because she's familiar ! 

He yells back that no !, he wants her back because he still freaking loves her ! 

Lula says that it's too late, of course it is ! In fact, it's two years too late for him to suddenly regret ordering her to leave ! 

He tells her that he never thought she'd actually do it. 

She says that she thought that was what he wanted. 

He regrets saying that every single day, he says. And yet, she can't quite believe him. She tells him that. 

He says that she doesn't have to believe him, she just has to know that every day without her has been agony, and that he hopes that there will never be day where he feels that again. 

A little part of her walls crumble. That's a lie. Every wall in her palace protection line falls. 

She has tears in her eyes, threatening to fall. She hates feeling vulnerable. Especially in the face of someone who knew just what and how to make someone in that position just give him whatever he wanted. Wallets, he had once told her. And she had smiled along through it, pulling off his belt and stealing peanuts from his leather jacket, before telling him, that oh, did he actually think she was anything like those other girls ? 

Jack closed the gap between them. Feeling his lips back on hers felt right, it felt like everything else would fall back into place, like a missing piece of her puzzle had fit. 

When they finally pull away, Jack tells her he's sorry if he makes this any more complicated, but he loves her. She's free to say anything she wants to now.

But she can't. She's frozen in time, in place. She doesn't know what to say. This is coming from the same man who told her she didn't mean anything to him anymore, who told her he didn't love her. But then again, this is coming from a man who traveled literally around the globe to find her, the man who is the father of the greatest gift she could ever receive. She doesn't know. She doesn't know. She doesn't know.

She stays rooted to the spot before he tells her he's sorry, then. 

It only all makes sense when he's about to walk up the stairs. 

She tells him to wait. He does, a look of hole tingling on his face. She walks to him and leans in again. He asks if that means she loves him too between kisses. She smiles, and says yes. 

She hears sounds of hurrays from upstairs and when she looks up, she sees her best friends, her horsemen, with her baby girl cheering, shouts of finally ! and claps. 

When she looks back at the face of her love, she finds that she doesn't quite give a fuck whether or not they had placed bets in them, and that all that mattered was him and their girl, who was being carried down by her Uncle Dandan, as he was called. 

She had their girl on her hip, and her husband with his arms wrapped around them both. Everything ceased to exist when the two of them were there. After all, it wasn't like their divorce was final yet. They were still married. 

She looked outside and saw snow gently resting on the ground. A Christmas miracle, they called it. But it wasn't. It was just a matter of time before it happened anyways. She truly believed that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everyone ! Please tell me what you think of this story guys !  
> Grace


End file.
